Ice-Cream
by StormageddonDarkLadyOfAll
Summary: Rose Weasley hates Scorpius Malfoy with every fibre of her being, and has spent years planning his death. But that all changes when they share a night of forgetfulness and ice-cream. Also includes other romances, and other characters I made up. First Fanfiction ever, so please be nice.
1. Chapter 1

Scorpius Malfoy was not like his father. He was not cruel and vicious. He did not think that Muggle-Borns should be persecuted. He did not think so-called Pure-Bloods were superior. He was not interested in blood statuses. He was interested in intelligence and beauty. Anything beautiful and special and smart drove him in. And if that meant that he was interested in Rose Weasley, then so be it.

She was pretty, with long flaming red hair that fell in waves of curls down her back and huge brown eyes with hues of blue and yellow. She walked as if she didn't want to be seen, but frankly, that just drew Scorpius in more. The fact that she hated him kind of put a damper on things, but hey, can't have everything. She was intelligent and responsible, hastily writing down notes for every class, filing away unnecessary quotes for no reason other than to get a good grade. She wasn't tremendously antisocial. She just stayed with her own group. Not to mention her troop of cousins. Like a huge squadron. A mass. An army.  
>If he did anything to Rose that they didn't like, he would probably get beaten to a pulp.<br>But, that interfered with his plan. He was intrigued with Rose. What Scorpius Malfoy wanted, Scorpius Malfoy got. And he wanted Rose Weasley.

It was the fifth year for Scorpius at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had noticed Rose Weasley sitting between her two friends, Colleen Creevy, whose uncle had fought and died in the Second Wizards' War, daughter of Dennis Creevy, and Nina Longbottom, daughter of Luna and Neville Longbottom, who had both fought in the War- it was actually Neville who had killed the horcrux, Nagini, in the War and was now the herbology professor at Hogwarts- all sitting around the Hufflepuff table. He shook his head. What was she doing in Hufflepuff? She was more Ravenclaw material. She was intelligent and witty. She should be in Ravenclaw, or Griffindor like her parents. He laughed at himself; why should he worry? She was going to be his anyway, what was the point of caring about what house she was in?

"Good evening students!" Professor McGonnagol, headmistress of Hogwarts, called out. The entire hall shut up immediately. "Now, I know you are all starving, so I'll be brief. Welcome to our new students and welcome back to the older ones. Mr. Filch would like me to remind everybody that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. To all those who wish to try out for Quiddich teams this year, contact your Head of Houses. Your timetables will be available tomorrow. Until then, let's eat." The tables immediately filled with food and Scorpius dug in, every so often sneaking a glimpse at Rose. He would get her. This was his year.

Rose Weasley walked up to the fifth year girls' Hufflepuff dormitories, laughing with her two friends, Colleen and Nina. Colleen was talking about something ridiculous she had done over the Summer holidays and Nina was rolling her eyes at the story. When they reached their destination, they hurried out of their clothes and leapt into bed, revelling in the familiarly comforting beds and pillows.  
>Rose thought again of the looks she had tried to ignore from Scorpius Malfoy. He was a git; he was rude and annoying and uppity and above all, he was a <em>Malfoy<em>. Their families were enemies and always would be. So why did she feel intrigued by him? What was so special about the holier-than-thou moron? Why were her dreams filled with shadows with white blonde hair and grey eyes? Why did his smile make her heart race and her breath to falter? Not that he smiled often. Most of the time, he just smirked, but seriously, his smile was something, really honestly something.  
>She shook her head, trying to stop thinking about him. It was then she realised that everyone in the dorm was grinning at her, waiting for her to say something.<br>"What?" She asked defensively. The girls cracked up and sniggered.  
>"Told you!" Colleen said. "She had the 'Malfoy' face on."<br>"What 'Malfoy' face?" She demanded.  
>"The face you get when you think about Malfoy." Nina replied, laughing. "Dreamily." She sang.<br>"Oh, Malfoy, take me in your arms and love me!" Colleen added mockingly. Rose threw her pillow at her.  
>"I don't fancy Malfoy, Col." She told them indignantly. "I hate the git."<br>"Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that, Rosie." Nina smiled and rolled over. "Goodnight until then." Colleen shook her head, and threw Rose's pillow back at her. They both grinned before turning over and closing their eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

Rose loved Hogwarts. The ghosts that floated through doors and walls. The library that was filled to the brim with books. The teachers who seemed to know everything. The stairs that moved. Herbology classes filled with plants that wanted to eat you. Hogwarts really was great, but the best thing was the food. Meal times were always delicious and the bustling of people towards their seats. But as she walked with Colleen and Nina towards the Hufflepuff table for breakfast, she was intercepted by none other than Scorpius Malfoy.  
>"Hey Rosie," He smirked. "How were your holidays?" She raised her eyebrows at him and the girls grinned.<br>"Since when do you call me anything other than 'Weasley', Malfoy?" He chuckled smugly.  
>"What, we can't change and get along?"<br>"Nope, not you. Prats like you never change." He laughed.  
>"So that's what you think of me. That's fine. I can change that." He chuckled and stroked a hand down her cheek. She slapped it away.<br>"Don't you dare touch me! What the hell is wrong with you?" She growled. "You know what: don't even answer that." She grabbed Colleen's and Nina's hands and plopped down unceremoniously into her chair at the Hufflepuff table. She folded her arms across her chest and heaved out an annoyed sigh.  
>"Don't even think about commenting about that." She told her friends without looking at them, reaching for the bacon in front of her. Both girls grinned at each other before tucking into breakfast.<p>

Scorpius had begun his carefully thought out plan and had started phase 1: Get Rose unarmed. Wear down her barriers and get her when she was vulnerable enough. That simple.  
>But apparently not.<br>She was not about to be uncomforted that easily. She was feistier than he thought. That was fine. It was no fun having something that didn't pose a challenge. She was going to be harder than he thought. But that was okay. He could wait.

"Hey Rose." Rose sighed as Malfoy plopped next to her in the library. She was studying for a transfiguration test that was coming up and she did not have the time for pompous gits right now. No matter how good looking they were.  
>"What do you want, Malfoy?" She groaned, not taking her eyes off her book. He chuckled.<br>"Cold, Rosie, real cold." He laughed, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt."  
>"And because of that I am ecstatic." She told him, scribbling down a few notes with her eagle feather quill. Malfoy laughed, throwing back his head, shoulders heaving. He swooped on the hand holding her book page flat and took a firm hold of it. She tried to yank her hand away but he held fast.<br>"Shove off, Malfoy." She tried to push his shoulder away with her other hand but he didn't budge.  
>"You have lovely skin, do you know that?" He drawled.<br>"I have to study, Malfoy, make it quick." She gave him a fiercely frustrated look and rammed her fist under her chin.  
>"I don't think I could tell you what I want to tell you that quickly, Rose. You know, you shouldn't study so much. You'll get huge black bags under those gorgeous brown eyes." His fingers stroked under her eyes and she jerked away. He smirked. "Such a strong woman. Such a beautiful, smart woman." His thumb traced patterns on the back of her hand. "So intelligent, so brave, so loyal. All the houses in one magnificent girl. It makes me wonder if you could possibly be cunning like a Slytherin."<br>"Get to the point, Malfoy." She rolled her eyes. He grinned at her as he laid a hand over her cheek. "Get your filthy, scum hands off me."  
>"Come on Rosie, you know there's a connection between us." She did not like the way he said 'us'.<br>"There is no connection between us, Malfoy. You're rude, cold, arrogant, you don't even like me and have taken every opportunity to criticise me and my family." His eyes took on a look of concern.  
>"Have I hurt you?" He pleaded. She laughed cruelly, tossing her head back. His hand somehow managed to stay on her cheek.<br>"It's no more than I can expect from the son of a death-eater." She hissed.  
>"I am not my father." His eyes hardened for a second before softening again. What was his deal? Was he sick or something? "But I understand where you're coming from. I have been rude to you and your family. But I can change. I can change for you." She stood up quickly, jerking her hand away and picking up her quill and notes and book.<br>"I don't want you to come near me or my friends or my family. Death-eater scum like you never change." She turned on her heel and stalked out of the library. Scorpius _bloody_ Malfoy!

Scorpius chuckled as she walked away, none too gracefully. She was so pretty when she was angry. Eyes flashing, hair escaping from its clasp. She hugged the books to her chest, and seemed to grumble to herself. He laced his fingers behind his head, thinking about how to make his next move. This was going to be fun.


	2. Conversations in the Kitchen

"Ugh!" Rose groaned, slamming herself into a couch in the common room. Nina immediately dropped her knitting and looked at her.  
>"Who interrupted study time?" She asked consolingly.<br>"Malfoy. Scorpius _bloody_ Malfoy!" She ran a hand down her face like she was trying to claw off her skin.  
>"What happened?" Colleen implored, bouncing in her seat, eager for details.<br>"Ugh, he just comes over and sits down next to me. He literally takes my hand and won't let go, then he's like, 'You have beautiful skin.'" She put on a fake voice to mimic him. "'Studying is bad for you, it'll give you bags under your eyes.'" She growled. "Then he strokes my cheek. He strokes my flippin' cheek! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Ugh!" She rammed the heel of her hands into her eyes and breathed out a long sigh. "I need ice-cream. I really need ice-cream." She stood up. "I'm going to the kitchen to get ice-cream. Do you want anything?"  
>"Nah. You go have fun." Nina replied, turning back to her knitting. Colleen just shook her head.<p>

Rose loved the kitchen. Filled with food and smells and most of all, she liked talking to the house-elves about their day and learning how they cooked and though they may be servants, they really were interesting. Through years of going down there, she had struck up a friendship with the elves, although she couldn't get them to stop calling her 'Miss Rose' or just 'Miss'. It got annoying.

So she walked towards the kitchens, anticipating deliciously creamy chocolate ice-cream, but unfortunately as she walked through the heavy door leading to the kitchen, she walked in on none other than Scorpius Malfoy, who seemed to be in deep conversation with a house elf. She groaned as she walked in and made a sharp U-turn.  
>"Just what I need." She grumbled, heading out the door.<br>"Rose, wait!" She heard Scorpius running after her and she walked faster. "Rose, come on!" She turned around quickly. He was just a few feet away from her, and he jogged the rest of the way to her. "Look, Rose, can't we just pretend for just one night that we're just two kids that go to the same school? Can we just forget that there is no family drama, no Weasley versus Malfoy? Can't we just be Rose and Scorpius sitting in the kitchen talking about the meaning to life the universe and everything? Just for one night?" Rose raised an eyebrow.  
>"What's with you, Malfoy? Why the sudden mood change? Why are you suddenly-" She stopped before she could say the last word: 'Nice'. "Not being a prat?" She finished lamely. He smiled, a truly wonderful smile, that lit up his face and danced in his eyes.<br>"Being a prat full time is boring and exhausting." He twirled a lock of her hair in between his fingers and she ignored the sudden zap of shocks that coursed through her. "Maybe I would like to be nice for a change." He shrugged.  
>"So, after this one night of forgetfulness, what exactly happens after that?" He shrugged again and placed a surprisingly gentle hand over her cheek.<br>"Whatever you want," Scorpius replied, his voice a tender whisper. "It's your choice. If you want to continue hostility after this, then fine, but for one night, let's just be acquaintances."  
>"Acquaintances?" Rose raised an eyebrow.<br>"Or friends if you want to be. It's your choice."  
>"And if I want to walk away, I can?"<br>"Sure. I'd really like it if you didn't, but if you want to, that's fine too. We'll just go back to hostility tomorrow." Unexpectedly, she laughed at that. She grabbed his hand and placed it next to his side. Scorpius noticed that she didn't slap it away. "I'm sorry I haven't been that nice to you."  
>"Or my family."<br>"I thought we were forgetting our families." He smirked. She blew the hair out of her eyes and smiled at him.  
>"So we were." Rose said. "Come on, I feel like ice-cream." She walked past him, brushing his shoulder with her own while she walked towards the kitchens. Scorpius smirked to himself before following after her.<br>"So, ice-cream?"  
>"I get a sweet tooth when I'm annoyed." She grinned at him and he squirmed.<br>"Sorry about that." He told her. "I just- you know-"  
>"Don't worry about it. We're forgetting that tonight remember?" He chuckled.<br>"So we are." As they entered, they just had to ask for what they wanted before twenty or so elves started bustling around trying to find it.  
>"So," Scorpius started, sitting down on a stool and patting the one next to him. She sat down next to him. "What's your favourite colour?" He grabbed his bowl of liquorice ice-cream and took a tiny bite of it.<br>"Colour? I thought we were going to discuss the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Which happens to be forty-two by the way, but how do you get favourite colour from that?" He shrugged.  
>"Why not start with a simple question?"<br>"Touche." She replied, smiling. "My favourite colour is green."  
>"Green?"<br>"Yeah, but not dark green, or fluoro green, but the green you get right after sunrise, when the dew is still sticking to the grass and the leaves and the sky is still part of the ground. When the sun glistens off the water of the night on the ground and all is so still and peaceful. That green." He was smiling, an honest smile, a nice smile. "What's yours?"  
>"Today yellow."<br>"Yellow?" His eyes shifted to her neck and she looked down, noticing the yellow and black Hufflepuff scarf she wore around her neck. She pushed his shoulder playfully.  
>"Flirt," She accused, laughing. "Favourite food?"<br>"Umm," He seemed to have to think about that. "A fresh salad drenched in salad dressing. With fresh ice burg lettuce and ripe tomato and really chunky cucumber. Maybe capsicum and onion." He smacked his lips together and Rose laughed. "Yours?" They talked for a while about each other's lives; stories, classes, habits, pets. Scorpius found out that Rose had a pet guinea-pig that she called Mephistopheles and Rose found out that Scorpius loved Muggle music from the 1980's. They laughed, they played, and Rose could almost forget that this was the boy who she had actually planned to kill almost every day since she met him. Scorpius decided about thirty minutes into this very interesting conversation that this was different. Rose was beautiful and smart, but she wasn't something he could take. She was different. She was, for lack of a better word, unique.

They had talked for hours, well after midnight and they both had bowls of leftover ice-cream in stacks next to them. It was almost sunrise and they both walked towards the window and looked out into the horizon.  
>"I get what you mean," Scorpius said, looking down at Rose as she laid her head on his shoulder. "That green is beautiful."<br>"It is, but I don't think it's my favourite colour any more."  
>"Oh? And what is it now?" He smiled down at her, and her breath caught in her throat. She looked deep into his eyes and spoke softly.<br>"Today, it is a greyish blue." She bit her lip and looked away. Scorpius grabbed her chin and tipped her head back up to meet his eyes.  
>"Flirt." He said, right before he kissed her.<p> 


	3. Reactions

Disclaimer: I do not own Happy Potter!  
>Thank you to all those who have reviewed and favourite-d. It's so exciting to get any reviews or opinions.<br>Anyway, enjoy!

The girls were up when she got back to her dorm. Nina was crawling around under her bed looking for socks and Colleen was jumping up and down on one foot trying to put a shoe on. Colleen gave her a disapproving look when she came in and started looking for clothes.  
>"Have you been eating ice-cream all night?"<br>"No." She replied indignantly. "I've spent the night in the kitchen talking with... um... Scorpius Malfoy." Her voice got considerably faster towards the end of her confession but she still heard a thump from under Nina's bed. She came out rubbing her head.  
>"Jeez, I think I gave myself a concussion. Ow." She gave Rose an incredulous look. "We're talking about the same Malfoy you wanted to set fire to in second year, correct? The one you literally spat at in third year, correct? The same Malfoy who, if I'm not mistaken, has developed <em>a mega crush on you<em>... Correct?"  
>"Well, I wouldn't say I wanted to set <em>fire<em> to him, but yes."  
>"<em>Scorpius<em> Malfoy? Scorpius _Malfoy_? Son of _Draco Malfoy_? _Scorpius Malfoy_?" Nina didn't seem to be able to wrap her head around it.  
>"Yes Nina, no matter where you put the emphasise on it, the name is still the same." She sighed, blowing the hair out of her eyes. "I spent the evening with Scorpius Malfoy. He's actually quite intelligent when he's not being a prat." Colleen chuckled and gave Nina a triumphant look.<br>"You owe me seven galleons."  
>"Do not! The bet was that they actually got together. They were just talking."<br>"In time, my friend. In time." She smirked at both of them and walked out, leaving Rose and Nina the only ones left in the dorm.  
>"You're not... you know... together, right?"<br>"No, Nina, we're not. We're just..." She shook her head. "I don't actually know. We're not enemies, we're not friends. It's confusing. I don't know." Nina looked incredulous for a minute and then grinned, her shoulders heaving in silent laughter. "What?" Rose demanded.  
>"Your dad is going to <em>kill<em> you! And then him and then you again. And that's even without bringing your brother and cousins into it." She smirked smugly. "It's gonna be fun to watch."

Scorpius knew that today would be interesting. And probably painful or loud, depending on which cousin he spoke with first. Rose had decided that they weren't going to be hostile towards each other, but what exactly did that mean? Did it mean that the would be nice or courteous to each other, or were they friends? Frustrated and annoyed, Scorpius walked towards the great hall for breakfast, muttering to himself about his predicament. He sat down at the Slytherin table and placed a huge mound of scrambled eggs and bacon onto his plate, attacking his food with his fork.  
>He felt like someone was watching him, so he looked up and sure enough, there was Colleen, Nina and Rose watching him. Rose's friends were frowning, but Rose just smiled, then her face fell into a mask of concern at the look on Scorpius'.<br>"You okay?" She mouthed at him, and he shrugged back. He clasped his hands together and lay his head on them, closing his eyes, a symbol for 'just tired'. She nodded and smiled back. "Me too." She mouthed, then turned back to her food. Colleen and Nina didn't turn and kept looking at them, so he widened his eyes mockingly. They scowled at him and turned to their own breakfast, whispering in Rose's ear. He saw her shoulders heave in a sigh, and she just shook her head. Scorpius rose from his chair and walked over to them, listening in on their conversation slash argument.  
>"You can't hang out with him, Rosie. Your dad's gonna kill you. For real, kill you!"<br>"Shut up, Col. I can hang out with whoever I want."  
>"No you can't, Rose." Nina was shaking her head, her arms gesturing her every word. "Your dad, your brother, your cousins. They're all gonna kill you, then kill him, then raise you from the grave just to kill you again."<br>"Just shut up! That's not going to happen." Rose had her head in her hands, her elbows pointed on the table. "Seriously, just be quiet. I'm not in the mood for this amount of drama right now."  
>"Problem?" Scorpius asked, standing right behind Rose.<br>"Not at all, Scorpius. Just arguing about study pals." Rose turned her head and smiled at him. She rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I am so tired. You know, I probably won't even be able to pay attention in class today. This is ridiculous."  
>"It is ridiculous." Scorpius smirked. "Totally agree. We could always go to the infirmary and ask about an awaking draught?"<br>"Good idea." Rose stood up and started to follow behind Scorpius. "I'll meet you guys in class."  
>"Quickly. Albus is looking this way." Colleen said, not taking her eyes off the huge bowl of porridge in front of her. Rose's head swivelled quickly towards the Griffindor table and flinched.<br>"Not worried. That's his problem." She muttered bravely. She took Scorpius' hand and dragged him out the great hall. Then it was Scorpius' turn to start dragging her. He led her down three corridors and into a small closet, locking the door behind him. Rose didn't say a word. She seemed to be having trouble breathing regularly.  
>"Are you alright?" He asked tenderly, his hand cupping her cheek. She shook her head, her eyes wide and unblinking. "I'm sorry. Everything is so screwed up."<br>"'S not your fault. It's our parents. _My_ parents. My _dad_." She replied, like she was trying to nail down the exact cause of their current trouble. "He's always going on about how terrible your dad was to him and my mother and Uncle Harry. He told me I had to beat you in everything. He's made everyone hate you. But you're not your dad. I know that now. I'm so sorry I believed him." Tears were running down her cheeks gently and he cradled her against his chest, running his hands down her back soothingly. "Nina and Col are right. Everyone is going to kill me and then you and then me again. I don't know how we're going to be friends. I don't know how to fix it. This is the one thing I can't fix. I don't know how." Her voice was getting hysterical so he took out his wand and cast a silencing charm over the room quietly.  
>"It's okay, Rosie. We'll figure it out. I'll fix it." She shook her head against his chest, her tears making huge damp patches on his shirt. He pulled her head away from his chest and held her face in his hands, making her look at him. "Rose Jean Weasley, you listen to me." He waited for her to calm down a bit before he spoke to her softly, his eyes never losing contact with hers. "We will figure this out. You know why? Because we are the smartest kids in this school. You are amazing and I am... me. Your cousins, my father, your parents, your friends, my friends, they have nothing to do with this-" She began to interrupt him but he silenced her with a finger against her lips. "They have nothing to do with this. They have no control over my life or your life. None, zero, zilch, nada, you get me?" Rose nodded softly and Scorpius gathered the sobbing girl next to his chest, sweeping her hair out of her face. "Now you quiet those tears." He whispered, planting a kiss on the top of her head. He waited for her to calm down, meanwhile arguing with himself.<p>

'What the hell are you thinking? You're getting emotionally involved! This is not the plan.' He thought to himself. Of course he was getting emotionally involved. Rose Weasley was different. She was bright and beautiful, yes, but she was also thoughtful and deep and logical. She was kind and compassionate and loyal. She was lovely and funny and she understood his humour. She was different to what he was expecting. He really shouldn't mind getting emotionally involved, she was a good girl, a lovely woman. It would be great to be her friend, to be a part of her world. He would enjoy it. She had stopped crying now and was just standing there, her head laying peacefully on his shoulder, her hands on his chest.  
>"Don't fall asleep on me, Little Red." He joked. She laughed at the quip and buried her head deeper into him.<br>"But you're so comfy!" She whined.  
>"I know." He replied, mockingly smug. He buried his face in her mounds of hair. "You really are amazing. I meant that." Rose tensed and drew back from him, and looked at him head on. She smiled after an awkward pause.<br>"What's with you Malfoy? Why are you suddenly not being a prat?" He grinned at her.  
>"Being a prat full time is boring and exhausting. Maybe I would like to be nice for a change." Her smile was radiant, unbearably so, so be leaned down and kissed that beautiful, radiant smile right off her beautiful, radiant face.<p> 


	4. Necklaces and Arguments

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Scorpius was tense. When he went through every corridor, he checked that he saw none of Rose's relatives before walking slowly and carefully through it. He had sent a note to Rose the day before to meet him in the owlery in about an hour, so he was walking to the Slytherin common rooms to change into something less goopy. He had had a potions class and his partner was atrociously clumsy. He had spilt the cauldron and the potion inside had suddenly flung itself all over his robes. Needless to say, Scorpius wasn't in the best mood. But he had said he would be there, so he would be there. Even if it was freezing outside.  
>Scorpius sighed. Was this really worth it? He was emotionally involved, yes, but was it really worth the trouble? He frowned at himself.<br>It?  
>Rose was a she, and she was definitely worth it. Maybe. Definitely. He should definitely stop talking to himself. This is ridiculous. He shook his head. He needed to get out more. Maybe he should talk to more people. He didn't necessarily have a thriving social life.<br>'Ugh, stop talking to yourself, you twit!' He thought at himself angrily. He rushed into clean clothes and ran up to the owlery, grabbing the note to send to his mother on the way. When he arrived, he called down his boobook owl and attached the letter, sending her off to his mother. He stood at the window watching her progress and waited for Rose to arrive.

Rose ran up the stairs to the owlery, clutching the note Scorpius had sent her via owl. She was astronomically late, having got into an argument with her brother about who she should 'be friends with'. Ugh, those stupid cousins! She was not 'betraying the family'. This was ridiculous. This was not fifteenth century England. This was not like Romeo and Juliet.  
>'Whoa, where did that come from?' She slowed to a walk, then hurried on. Didn't matter. She was just trying to prove a point.<br>"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She cried as she burst through the door.  
>"You know, it's no longer fashionably late when you're an hour late." Scorpius joked, not looking away from the horizon.<br>"I know, I'm sorry. I was going to get here sooner, but my brother decided to ear bash me then James and Albus turned up and then Colleen and Nina started on me and Lily turned up and she's all like 'let her make her own choices!' and every one else was like 'she's betraying the family' and I'm sorry." Her excuse came out quickly and in almost one breath. Scorpius turned to her and smiled genuinely, his eyes sparkling.  
>"It's okay, Little Red, I'm not mad." He came over and hugged her, rubbing his hands through her hair. "I know it's been hard lately. I'm sorry for that."<br>"I told you it wasn't your fault." She replied, breathing in his scent as she buried her face in his shoulder.  
>"I know, but I'm still sorry." She chuckled and stood with him, closing her eyes to keep the moment. She had missed the quiet. "I almost forgot, I brought you up here for a reason." She drew back form him and looked at him. He smiled as he withdrew a small, black velvet covered box from his robes.<br>"I was in Hogsmeade last week and I saw this. I thought you would like it." He handed the box to her and she opened it, catching her breath as she looked at the lovely necklace.  
>It was a simple, hexagonal design. Glistening yellow gems surrounded a larger, pale green coloured gem in the centre. The centrepiece seemed to darken towards the middle and the silver surrounding the entire piece flowed around it, ending in a head like a serpent.<br>"It's um... Emerald and yellow sapphire and white gold." Scorpius explained when Rose continued to stare at the beautiful necklace. "I thought that... you know... Hufflepuff being yellow and Slytherin being green and with the snake thing... I thought... it's okay if you don't want it."  
>"Are you kidding me?" Her voice was excited but quiet. "It's beautiful. It must have cost so much." That seemed to snap her out of her trance. "Too much, in fact. I can't take this, Scorpius." She tried to shove the box back at him, but he shook his head.<br>"I'm not taking it back unless you don't like it, but you do, so I'm not taking it back."  
>"But," She looked down at the necklace and her eyes unfocused again, before narrowing. "I'm not worth that much. I can't accept it. It's not fair. I can't give you anything that compares."<br>"You don't need to. It's a gift."  
>"But I-" Scorpius silenced her with a finger against her lips.<br>"A beautiful girl needs beautiful accessories. Besides, you've been under stress lately and you need it. You need something for yourself." He took the box from her and fastened the jewellery around her neck for her. He spun her around and looked at her, laying a hand on her cheek.  
>"Will you wear it?"<br>"Of course, Scorpius. I love it. Thank you so much." She smiled at him and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He hugged her tightly to him and sighed.  
>"And for the record, Little Red," He told her softly. "You <em>are<em> worth it."


	5. Howlers and love

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Rose was not looking forward to mail time. She was not looking forward to seeing her family's owl flying towards her with a big red envelope held in its beak. Nope, this was one breakfast she didn't want to have. She had told Scorpius that she would be getting a howler that day and he was now glancing at her periodically, giving her silent encouragement. But it still wasn't enough to stop her from looking up at the ceiling pleadingly, like she was begging the enchanted sky to stop her father sending her a howler. Like it had anything to do with the ceiling.  
>When mail did arrive, she buried her face in her arms, like she was trying not to see. Both Colleen and Nina patted her back reassuringly. She felt an owl peck at her hair but she didn't look up. It hooted indignantly, like it was annoyed she was ignoring it. She took a deep breath and looked up.<br>"Is there any way you could, I don't know, fly out and feed it to the Giant Squid?" The owl just hooted at her, like it was saying 'As if. Lighten up, it won't be that bad.' She took the letter and gave the bird a little of her breakfast. It hooted a farewell and flew away. She glanced at Scorpius and he just nodded at her, giving a small smile. Colleen and Nina patted her back. She took a breath and closed her eyes, opening her mail.  
>"<em>ROSE JEAN WEASLEY<em>! YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!" She buried her face in her hands, as all over the hall, students looked over at her. Most of them snickered and some even openly laughed. Her father's voice was magnified tenfold, and seemed to echo around the entire school. "HOW DARE YOU BECOME FRIENDS WITH A MALFOY?! HAVE YOU NO FAMILY PRIDE?!" Really? They were still going on about family betrayal? "YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN ENEMIES AND YOU WILL _BE_ NOTHING MORE THAN ENEMIES! YOU END THIS RELATIONSHIP RIGHT NOW, MISSY, OR WE'LL COME TO SCHOOL AND TAKE YOU _STRAIGHT HOME_!" With that, the envelope ripped itself into shreds and the silence was overwhelmingly loud. Colleen and Nina both had an arm around her, both heads on either of her shoulders.  
>"I am going to <em>kill<em> James Sirius Potter." She growled. She stood up and they each grabbed a hold of her hands. "Let me go! Let me go! James Potter, you come here right now! How dare you do that to me! James Potter!" She tried to yank her hands out of her friends' grasp, but they weren't letting up  
>"Rosie, calm down. It's over. You're going to get in trouble." Colleen told her worriedly.<br>"I don't care, get off me! James _Potter_!" Her voice was shrill and scary and everyone in the hall was now looking at her. James was smirking at her now, a huge smile plastered over his face. Scorpius was suddenly in front of her, and she looked up at him and tears immediately filled her eyes. "I am _so_ sorry." She told him in a tiny voice. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't know how to fix this one." She shook her head as the tears came. Scorpius laid a hand on either side of her face and was surprised that nobody objected.  
>"It's okay, Little Red."<br>"No it's not. It's not." Her voice was small and desperately sad.  
>"Yes it is, I'll fix it. I told you that, didn't I? I told you that we would figure it out. I told you I would fix it. Remember?" She nodded her head slowly. He looked behind him and glared at her older cousin. "You want to go somewhere?" She kept nodding. "Alright. It's okay, girls, I've got her." Both girls gave her a worried look before letting go of her hands. Scorpius wrapped a hand around her waist and led her out of the hall.<p>

"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked as they both sat on a bench in the owlery. It was sort of 'their place' now. Rose hadn't said anything in a while, and she didn't change that fact now. She just nodded. "Are you sure?" She nodded again then looked at him and gave him a small smile.  
>"I'm fine. I just-" She paused for a bit and swallowed, like she was nervous. "I'm fine."<br>"You can tell me."  
>"I just- I love Hogwarts, Scorpius. This relationship with you is better than I could have imagined but... I can't leave... not yet."<br>"It's okay,"  
>"But it's not! I love hanging out with you. I love being with you and discussing things with you and studying with you and laughing with you but... I don't know what I'm meant to do now. I don't see how I can win and get you and this place and-" She scrunched up her face like she was in pain. "I don't know how to get my father to... I don't know how to- how to-" She was crying so much now, she couldn't even finish her sentence. He gathered her up in his arms and laid his cheek on the top of her head.<br>"It's okay, honey. We'll figure it out."  
>"I don't see how," She sounded miserable.<br>"I've got a few ideas. Don't worry, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head, trying to think of a way to word the note he would be sending to her father.

Rose sat in the communal common room next to Nina and Colleen, looking at a knitting design that Nina was showing her. She looked up when the door opened, then immediately stood up and left the room. James chuckled as Nina and Colleen both glared at him.  
>"What's her problem?"<br>"What do you think, Potter?" Colleen replied angrily.  
>"Whoa, you alright?"<br>"No she's not and neither am I and neither is your cousin, Potter." Nina's normally cool blue-green eyes were flashing dangerously.  
>"I was doing it for her,"<br>"No you weren't Potter." Colleen growled. "You were doing it for your pride. Because your family was being friends with a Malfoy, like that's even important." Colleen sighed. "Build a bridge, get over it." Colleen stood and ran after Rose.  
>"Why are they so angry?"<br>"We're all angry at you James." Nina told him in a harder voice than he'd ever heard coming out of her. "You went behind her back. She was going to tell her dad, she was going to tell her parents and you go behind her back and get her in trouble. Do you not understand how that could hurt her? Do you not understand how much stress she's under anyway? We're all Hufflepuff. Loyalty is kind of our thing. Colleen and I are not too happy about it, but we respect her choices and we keep her safe. We're angry at you because you betrayed our friend." She waited for him to say something, but he just remained silent, staring at her with his mouth open like a fish. She stood and walked to the door, carrying her books with her. "You know I used to fancy you, James," She said, before she closed the door. "And now I have no idea why."


	6. Letters and agreements

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_Today, your daughter received a howler from you because of her friendship with me. I am writing to let you know that I have nothing but her best interests in mind. I want to continue being her friend, but if you think that that is objectionable, I would understand._

_I know that you and my father had some problems in school. I would like to point out that I am in no way my father. I am myself and I respect your daughter and her wishes. Her wishes are to remain at school but she would like to remain friends with me. I understand if you are wary because you do not know me, but I would appreciate it if you do not judge the son based on the sins of the father. _

_I await your reply._

_Sincerely,_

_Scorpius Malfoy _

Scorpius sent the letter with his boobook owl, and watched her fly away. He wished he could fly away. Things were getting awfully frustrating and tense around the place. He heard footsteps behind him and turned and saw who it was. Two of his fellow year five Slytherins, Gilbert Norman and Robert Mayford, both beaters in the Quiddich team, were walking towards him, obviously looking for him.  
>"Are you sure she's worth it, mate?" Gilbert asked, his rough voice somehow sympathetic. Scorpius crossed his arms over his chest.<br>"That's a pretty stupid question, Gil," He replied. "Let me ask you one: Is Diana worth it?" Robert chuckled, leaning against the door frame. It was sometimes interesting, what Robert found amusing. Other times, it was just annoying.  
>"I get your point, Scorp, but we're worried about you." Scorpius smiled at his friends, amused that such big blokes were trying to talk him out of romance. "We don't want you to get hurt."<br>"And I appreciate that, Gil, really, it's just that I don't think that she could hurt me, okay?" He told them as gently as he could. "But I'll be careful, alright?"  
>"Great, because we are not going to become your bodyguards," Robert told him, his voice oozing sarcasm.<br>"Oh, come now, Rob, surely you will embrace the chance to be closer to your one true love?" Scorpius told him in the same tone. Robert growled and lunged for him, catching him in a playful headlock. AS the tension subsided and they started to talk of other things, they laughed all the way down the stairs and back to the common room.

Rose was crying again. She was frustrated because she couldn't seem to find a certain book and the tears that were always so close to the surface now just spilled over and fell silently over her cheeks. She swiped them away angrily and kept looking. She had been looking for this blasted book for over an hour, but no, the master of knowledge remained elusive.  
>"What you looking for?" She heard Scorpius come in next to her and she sighed. She didn't want to get angry with him, but it was just so easy to get angry at everybody right now.<br>"A book. I can't freaking find it. I've been looking for ages, but I can't find it." She swiped at the tears again and looked up the the shelves above her. "I was sure I put it back here yesterday, but-"  
>"Maybe someone borrowed it this morning."<br>"Don't flipping tell me that! I need that book!" She stamped her foot to illustrate her point.  
>"Can I cheer you up?" He was amused at her annoyance, the rat.<br>"I don't see how."  
>"I do," He drew a letter form out his robes and handed it to her. She sighed and opened it, immediately catching her breath as she read her mother's words.<p>

_Mr. Malfoy,_

_I am writing to you on behalf of my husband and myself. When we received your note, Rose's father was quite miffed that you would take the time to write to him. I will admit I was impressed.  
>There really is no reason that you and my daughter should not be friends. You're right; we shouldn't judge you on your father. As long as you keep our daughter happy, we really can't complain.<br>Although be warned, you make one false move, and she has enough cousins and brothers and uncles to teach you a lesson. So take care of her. I hope for your sake you aren't like your father.  
>Hermione Weasley. <em>

Rose stared at the letter for a few minutes after she read it, a huge smile growing on her face, spreading till her cheeks hurt.  
>"You wrote to my dad?" She asked, not looking up from the letter. Scorpius laid a hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone.<br>"It seemed a good idea at the time." He replied, shrugging. She looked at him and smiled a beautifully bright smile, eyes alight and focused, swimming in happy tears.  
>"You clever bastard," She told him, then she jumped up on her toes and kissed the blazes out of him.<br>It was like her lips were on fire. No, like everything was on fire, curling around from her lips to the very tips of her toes. It was like she was drowning in light, but it wasn't scary, it was like she was floating rather than drowning, like Scorpius was the one thing keeping her afloat. How could she be on fire and be floating at the same time? It was like she was floating in fire. Exactly; like she was floating in Scorpius' fire.

He wound an arm round her waist, his hand resting on the small of her back, the other hand moving around to hold the nape of her neck. She wound her fingers into his soft white blond hair and pulled him closer, closing her eyes as fireworks went off behind her closed eyelids.

They rested their foreheads together after the kiss, trying to commit the details to memory. Scorpius' hands were still around her, Rose's hands now lay on his chest. She was breathing hard, like she had just run a marathon. He moved his head and kissed her forehead, then held her head to his chest, smoothing the hair away from her face tenderly.  
>Scorpius wondered what she had done to him. And, more importantly, when. In just a few stressful weeks, she had somehow found a way to his heart. It wasn't like they were in love. No, definitely not, but he didn't just want her as his now. He wanted to be hers as well. He wanted her to belong to him and only him, but he wanted to be only hers too. Rose was different; she wasn't like the other girls that he had dated. He wasn't only interested in her looks. She was fun to be with and interesting to talk to. She was interested in so much. She thought about things, she had a reason for everything. If he had asked his ex's why they liked a colour, they would have just said it's a pretty colour, whereas Rose knew why she liked green. It was like the possibility of a new day, fresh and new and filled with possible experiences.<br>Talking about green, she smelled like springtime. Like new buds, a garden full of dandelions. And what was that spice? Almost like cinnamon, but sharper, more defined. What was that?  
>'Bloody hell, you're thinking about her <em>smell<em> now?' He thought to himself. 'Get out more.'  
>"So, did I cheer you up?" He said aloud.<br>"Shut up, you're ruining the moment," Rose chuckled along with him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in her elbow. She was just so little, so fragile, so _shy_.  
>"So, since we got your parents permission, would you do something for me? Two things actually?"<br>"Sure, as long as it's responsible,"  
>"You take all the fun out of everything," He chuckled, rubbing his chin along her hairline. "One, will you allow me to walk with you back to the common room?"<br>"Sure, that's responsible. Colleen will get a kick out of that. She made a bet with Nina that you and I would 'get together'." She chuckled at the memory.  
>"Hmm, well that's my second question." He could feel Rose tense, but she didn't object so he pushed on. "Will you go out with me to the next Hogsmeade outing?"<br>"Um, like a date?" She asked, pulling back and staring at him. He didn't let her go, keeping a tight hold on her.  
>"Well, yeah,"<br>"As long as we don't go in Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes Joke Shop."  
>"Huh?"<br>"My uncle works there and he'll probably kick your butt out of the store if you come in with me."  
>"Alright, then we'll stay out of the joke shop."<br>"Then I don't see a problem with it. Sure, I'll go out with you," She smiled up at him and checked her watch. "We need to get back, it's almost curfew."  
>"But, can't we just stay a little longer? I like holding you." Rose looked at him sharply.<br>"You're being soppy." He laughed but took her point. He let her go but kept a firm hold of her hand, not wanting to break contact with her.  
>They walked together to the communal common room, where they found Nina and Colleen sitting on a couch together discussing Charms homework. Scorpius tensed before Rose huffily pulled him along and onto the opposite settee.<br>"Hey girls, what's up?" Rose said, breaking the silence. Both girls just sat staring at their joined hands.  
>"You do know that your brother's in a very bad mood today?" Colleen replied, looking up at Rose, pointedly keeping her eyes away from Scorpius.<br>"And that's important because...?"  
>"Do you have a death wish, Rosie?" Colleen started to get loud, her eyes taking an involuntary look at Scorpius who had a very 'Malfoy' smirk plastered all over his face. Nina was still quiet, her eyes widened and her mouth open in a tiny 'o'.<br>"Not funny, Col. And no, I don't." Rose sounded impatient.  
>"Then why are you hanging out with <em>him<em> right now?" Colleen's voice was now high and hysterical. Scorpius wished she would calm down.  
>"Because Hugo has nothing to complain about. Mum said it was okay for me to be friends with <em>Scorpius<em>." She enunciated the last word like she was trying to get through to her. It didn't work.  
>"Hah! Rosie, your dad and mum have a problem with Malfoy's. You're gonna get killed. And then get him killed. Is that what you want? Because if it is, I am not coming to your funeral." Scorpius scowled but said nothing. This wasn't his fight, but if she didn't mind her manners, he was not going to be happy. Rose squeezed his hand like it was nothing. "This is insane. Do you have any idea what you're doing? Do you have any idea how much you're hurting Nina right now?"<br>"Col, you don't need to bring that up. This isn't about me. Rosie honey, what do you mean, your mum's okay with it?"  
>"Well, Scorpius sent Dad a letter so Mum sent him a letter back. She said it was okay for him and I to be friends,"<br>"And somehow managed to put a subtle threat in there as well." Scorpius mentioned and instantly regretted it. Colleen sent him the look of death for even daring to talk. Rose laughed and chucked her cushion at her.  
>"Lighten up, Col, jeez. You'd think I'd murdered someone." Rose frowned after all but Colleen laughed at her joke. "What did you mean, hurting Nina?"<br>"Haven't you noticed that-" Colleen broke off with a cry of pain as Nina smashed the heel of her foot onto her toes.  
>"Don't you dare, Col, you promised." She growled, glaring at her friend. Colleen sighed impatiently and threw back her head to rest on the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and blew the hair out of her eyes, wiping it away with her hand when it came to rest in the same place. She leaned forward again and smiled at Nina.<br>"You owe me seven galleons,"  
>"There is <em>no<em> evidence that they're together!"  
>"Hand-holding, necklaces, secret looks when they think I'm not looking. Like that one." Colleen laughed as both under scrutiny gave her a sheepish look. "They're together, hon. You owe me money."<br>"Look, how about I just buy you a heap of chocolate?" Colleen frowned, thinking through this new offer.  
>"Fine, but it has to be the good stuff." Nina chuckled, then leaned forward, looking right at Scorpius in a way that unnerved him slightly.<br>"Mrs. Weasley may have given you a warning, Scorpius, but let me give you another one," She said. "If Rose is happy and smiling when she comes back from a day with you, we get along fine. If she comes back crying, then you and me and Colleen have a problem. You hurt her, and I will personally see to it that your carcass feeds the Giant Squid in the Black Lake. Are we clear?"  
>"Nice visual threat, I like it!" Colleen laughed, grinning between Nina and Scorpius. Nina, however, continued to look at Scorpius, her eyes narrowed. Scorpius nodded once, his face business like.<br>"Understood, ma'am," Nina grinned, now that all dramatics were taken care of and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.  
>"So, Scorpius, what is it about you that Rosie likes so much?"<p> 


	7. First Dates

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Well, that was... interesting. Scorpius had sat for hours talking with Rose and her two friends. He understood why she had chosen them. They were nice, funny, they got each other's humour, and they did get his, after a while. There was an underlying amount of love there, like sisters. Like they were family. Scorpius laughed to himself as he thought of adding another two to the Weasley bunch. There was an understanding between the three friends. He noticed that when something came up that one of them didn't want to talk about, they would breeze over it without even realising, almost like they could tell one of them was uncomfortable and they wanted to restore balance. When Scorpius had asked about Colleen's family, she had breezed over her siblings, her brother in particular, and noticed how the other two quickly moved onto stories somehow involving one of her siblings which led into another story that had completely nothing to do with Colleen.  
>They were different. All of them, but he still loved the feeling of Rose sitting next to him, laughing at a story or a memory. She never let go of his hand that night, squeezing it periodically as if she was making sure he was still there. Colleen was right, they had been giving each other glances all night. Scorpius didn't want to read too much into it but... again, interesting. He was surprised that none of her cousins had come into the common room in all the hours they had sat there.<br>He had noticed that every so often, she would run her fingers over the necklace he had given her that sat under her shirt. He wished she could feel safe enough to take it out, but it was her choice. Every time she felt the necklace, she would sigh and squeeze his hand. He didn't know exactly what it meant, but again, he didn't read much into it. If it wasn't obvious, he would just leave it be. It wasn't like it was overly important. Just a habit or something probably.

The next Hogsmeade trip could not have come at a better time. Rose was feeling claustrophobic in school, and she hated having to steal moments with Scorpius in abandoned classrooms and the library. She wished she could have a better relationship with him. She wished he wasn't a Malfoy, and that her family and his weren't enemies. She wished she could have a relationship with him and not worry about it . But that wasn't going to happen soon.  
>She was looking forward to her date, but at the same time, she was nervous. She had only been on one other date and that was with a guy whom she had found out was an absolute knob. What if she acted like a complete ninny? What if Scorpius tired of her? What if he didn't like the way she dressed or- or-<p>

"You alright?" Scorpius asked, taking her arm, while she was in the middle of a silent freak out. Her mind relaxed the instant she was with him and she turned to him and smiled.  
>"I'm fine." He smiled back at her and continued walking with her down to the village.<br>"Can I ask you a question?" She asked him, laying her head on his shoulder.  
>"Sure, you know you can." He chuckled as he answered.<br>"Is all this- The friendship thing, the dating- Is it all just some grand master plot to humiliate me?" Scorpius froze, jerking Rose to a stop.  
>"Why would you think that?" He whispered, his voice gruff. She lowered her head and worked on making her tone light.<br>"I just had a kind of freak out moment. I'm sorry." She kept her head down, waiting for Scorpius to reassure her.  
>"It was," Scorpius breathed. Rose eyes widened and her head snapped back up. Scorpius was looking at her with an expression of extreme horror. Rose's jaw dropped and her face creased in hurt, but then she snapped her mouth closed and narrowed her eyes angrily.<br>"Filthy Malfoy," She growled, before turning on her heel and started walking away. Scorpius quickly grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him, acting on instinct. He held her face in his hands, his entire face a mask of pleading.  
>"No, Rose listen," He told her. Her eyes were tearing up and he hated himself for it. "That's what it was. Before. Past tense. Rose, listen to me!" She had closed her eyes so she couldn't see him. When she opened them, tears rolled down her cheeks silently. Scorpius ran both his thumbs under her eyes to wipe them away. "Rose, please, I- Things are different. It's not like that any more."<br>"Then what _is_ it like, Scorpius?" She growled, her voice low and dangerous. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.  
>"I don't want to be <em>him<em> any more, Rose. I don't want to be the guy who... _takes_ everything. When I'm with you, I feel like I don't have to pretend to be anything. I don't have to pretend that I think that Muggle-Borns are inferior, or that people with less money are inferior. When I'm with you, I can be myself, without having to worry about who's in the room. I feel like you understand me, for me. And I- I don't want to lose that, Rosie. I think I'll go mad." Rose's eyes were closed again, but she wasn't withdrawing and she didn't look angry any more. She looked like she was having a silent battle with herself. "Remember when you needed ice-cream and you came into the kitchen, and I asked you, cliché though it may sound, to forget about our families and our friends? Do you remember that?" She nodded. How could she not remember? It was one of her most treasured memories. "When I'm with you, that happens all the time. I'm not Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, former death-eater. I am just Scorpius, student of Hogwarts, friends with Rosie. And I like being him." When she looked up at him, she had tears in her eyes, but a huge smile on her face. She grinned and shook her head, chuckling under her breath.  
>"Scorpius Malfoy, you scared the ever-living <em>shit<em> out of me. Don't you ever do that again." Scorpius laughed as he gathered her in his arms, relief present in his face and stance. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder, a huge, pathetic grin plastered all over her face.  
>They stood like that for a while, before Scorpius gently but firmly detached himself but kept a warm hold of Rose's hand. He pulled her along the path towards Hogsmeade and they walked through the village. They didn't settle anywhere, just kept walking up and down, window shopping and occasionally commenting about something or other. They arranged to meet up with Nina and Colleen at the Three Broomsticks later on that day, and Scorpius decided that they needed some couple-alone-time without the possibility of being interrupted. It was her own fault really, looking so gorgeous in her soft, white cotton dress that hugged her figure and blew out towards her knees, hair done up in an elegant swirl and make-up a bare minimum. If she didn't want to be mauled, she shouldn't have put herself in his path.<br>They walked until they were as close as they dared to go to the Shrieking Shack. Scorpius wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her shoulder. She looked out towards the Shack and placed her hands on top of his, snuggling closer into his chest.  
>"My Uncle Harry told me a story of the Shrieking Shack," She told him. "I'm not sure I really believed it."<br>"Really?" He smiled as he laid his chin on her shoulder. "Want to tell me?" She sighed as he trailed kisses from her jaw to her bare shoulder.  
>"Apparently, Uncle Harry's dad and his mates were the reason behind the Shrieking Shack myth. Remus Lupin was a werewolf and every month, he would go to the Shack to Change. He never told anybody anything, especially his friends because he was sure that they would hate him and not want to be near him any more. But then James Potter and Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew did find out. They were his friends and they were the Marauders. They were best friends and they didn't turn their back on him. They helped him through it and they tried to come up with a way to help him while he was Changed. They turned into Animagi. They kept him safe and out of danger of people. But even then the villagers were still scared of the noises coming from the Shrieking Shack. Uncle Harry says that before his friends found out, Remus had to stay in there and he bit himself because he couldn't bite anybody else. The whole Shrieking Shack <em>thing<em> came from that." Scorpius chuckled.  
>"It does seem a little far fetched."<br>"I think it was just a story to get us kids to sleep. He used to tell us of all the adventures that the Marauders had and how they fought off evil sorcerers and how Grandpa James and Grandma Lily sacrificed themselves to save Uncle Harry from Lord Voldemort. I think most of it was just made up." Scorpius chuckled again, she could feel the vibrations running through her back. "What?"  
>"I had different ways of getting to sleep. I never had stories." He squeezed her closer and rubbed his chin along her hairline.<br>"What did you have?"  
>"My mother used to sing to me. Her voice is terribly boring. I was under in seconds." Rose laughed and Scorpius turned her around quickly, capturing the sound with his mouth. "You are so lovely, do you know that?" He whispered tenderly, brushing the hair away from her face. Rose didn't reply. She just kept her eyes closed and a small smile graced her lips. Scorpius couldn't help but kiss her then.<br>This kiss turned from just a tender brush of lips to a full out desperate kiss when Rose's hands wound into his hair and pulled him closer, her lips battling for supremacy with his. Scorpius hesitantly brushed his tongue along the seam of her lips, unsure what she wanted, but she opened to him willingly, and his tongue hastily explored her mouth, his hands shaping themselves to cup her face. They moved down to her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, smashing their bodies together. Rose moaned as Scorpius kneaded her shoulders with his fingers. His lips moved from her mouth down her jaw to her neck, leaving a trail of fire as they moved over her collarbone. She pulled his head back up, wanting his kiss again. He left teasingly small butterfly kisses on her lips. She groaned and tugged on his hair, pulling him to her so he couldn't escape. His hands roamed from her shoulders down her arms, then closer to her chest. She instantly pulled back and lowered her head, leaving the top of her head on his chest so he couldn't see her face.  
>"Sorry, sorry," He panted, realising what he had done. She shook her head.<br>"Not your fault." She breathed back. "I just- it was too much- too soon- so scary-" She was panting as well, her jumbled almost-apology punctuated by each breath of air she took. He pulled her closer so that the side of her face rested on his shoulder. He left one hand on the small of her back, holding her close, the other running over her back soothingly. They stood like that for what seemed like minutes but what must have been hours. Scorpius glared at the sun which somehow had managed to sneak over so it was directly above them. He tugged himself out of her arms and took her hand, leading her away from the Shrieking Shack and back towards the village.

They found Colleen and Nina in a booth in the Three Broomsticks, talking animatedly with the people in the booth behind them. Rose and Scorpius asked for two butterbeers before sitting down across from them. Nina smiled at them both before diving back into the conversation, and Colleen glanced at them, but didn't turn away fully. Scorpius chuckled under his breath.  
>"What?" Rose whispered, looking at him.<br>"Declarations of love amuse me," He said, smirking. Rose slapped his arm playfully and laughed. When she threw her head back, the necklace that he had given her peeped out from under her dress and Scorpius' hand swooped in and grabbed the pendant. Rose stopped laughing immediately, curiosity lining her features.  
>"When I bought you this," He said rubbing his fingers across the jewels. "I hoped that you would feel okay to wear it in public." She bit her lip, then smiled.<br>"I am wearing it in public." He narrowed his eyes at her.  
>"You know what I mean, Little Red," He chuckled as she glared at him. That was not fair. He knew she would do anything if he used that nickname. She sighed as he dropped it. She left it out, the white of her dress showing off the jewels' colour. Nina noticed and winked at her, grinning conspiratorially with Scorpius. Colleen kept talking with the people over the booth. Rose was getting annoyed about it.<br>"Col, we are here, you know. It was your idea to have this lunch." She growled at her. Reluctantly, Colleen said goodbye to the people over the booth and glared at Rose.  
>"I was gonna ask him out," Colleen whispered at her, leaning over the table. Rose sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back.<br>"Of course you were," She said, opening her eyes. "Sorry." Her voice was impatient but genuine and Colleen caved under the guilty look.  
>"It's fine. I'll ask him later." The butterbeers arrived for everyone and they all took sips of their drinks, getting froth on their upper lips. They talked about their upcoming OWLs and the homework load, complaining about the teachers and the smart-alec-y kids who thought they knew everything and wouldn't change their views on anything, even if they were astronomically wrong. They laughed as they told ridiculous stories about how they had coped with the other years' homework load and how much they loathed the heavier workload now. Lily Potter came along and plopped down in a seat at one point and randomly joined in on the conversation like it was nothing, talking with the girls and with Scorpius, which surprised him to no end. He did share a 'weirded out' look with Colleen and Nina but Rose seemed to think nothing of it, like it happened every day.<br>At one point, Rose felt eyes glaring holes in the back of her head, and sure enough, there was James glaring at her and Scorpius and Lily, but his eyes shifted after a moment and landed on Nina, his eyebrows crinkling into a frown of puzzlement. Interesting. Nina had noticed as well, but she was pointedly keeping her eyes away, but when she glanced at Rose's questioningly look, she just shook her head and mouthed 'later'. Scorpius kept his arm around her shoulders through almost the entire thing, sipping his butterbeer and eating some of the chocolate that Colleen was reluctantly sharing.  
>It was a good first date.<p> 


	8. Fights and Forgiveness

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Three days later, all hell broke loose. The screaming was heard early in the morning, straight after breakfast, almost through the entire school. Students ran through the halls, trying to find out where the commotion was coming from. When they did find the source of the commotion, they found that it was because of Rose Weasley, who was holding back a very pissed off looking Scorpius Malfoy as he yelled at an even more pissed off looking James and Albus Potter. Lily Potter was trying to calm down every body, tears rolling down her cheeks. Lily had never liked confrontations. Hugo Weasley's arm was wrapped around Lily's shoulder, while he screamed at his cousins and sister to shut up because they were upsetting Lily.  
>"You know nothing about it, Malfoy!" James was screaming.<br>"This is a family matter!" Albus piled on.  
>"The hell, I don't! This is not about <em>family<em>! It's about your sickening sense of family _pride_!" Scorpius yelled, his hands curled up in fists.  
>"Scorpius, calm down! James, Albus, bugger off!" Rose screamed, pushing Scorpius back by the shoulders.<br>"Everybody, shut up! Can't we all just get along?!" Lily screeched, her voice choppy.  
>"Shut up! Everyone shut up! You're gonna get in trouble and Lily is crying! See what you've done?!" Hugo was yelling. Colleen and Nina hung in the sidelines, Nina looking towards James' red face and Colleen's eyes narrowed over Scorpius' white-knuckled fists. Just as they started another round, the Head of Griffindor house came up, wearing a shockingly angry expression.<br>"What is the meaning of this!" Professor Longbottom yelled out, his voice alarmingly high. All present shut up immediately. "Twenty five points from each Griffindor, twenty five from each Slytherin and twenty five from each Hufflepuff involved. What is this noise about?" James and Albus scowled at their Head of House, but kept sending death glares towards Scorpius. Neville Longbottom gave an exasperated sigh when no one answered and turned to the crowd. "Don't you all have lessons to be at?" He hinted and the flock of students immediately dispersed. He signalled for those involved to follow him and led them to his office where he sat and scowled at the students.  
>"What happened then?" All four students spoke at once, each with a different story. He held a hand up to stop them and looked expectantly towards Rose, who the argument seemed to centre towards.<br>"James and Albus don't like it that I'm friends with Scorpius." She stated simply, like it was obvious. The professor raised an eyebrow and smirked.  
>"Malfoy versus Golden Trio still going strong, I see," He chuckled. The students looked slightly put off, but didn't say anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, closing his eyes, when he looked back, he had a calculating look present on his face.<br>"Alright, kiddies," He said in what could only be described as a cheerful tone. "I am not going to write to your parents this time. However, one more instance like this and you will be going straight to the Headmistress, and a letter will be going home to each of your parents, got it?" They nodded and he ploughed on. "Furthermore, you will be doing detention with me for the next two weeks and you will each lose an additional 25 points for every time you miss a minute of that, got it?" They all nodded, with the same sheepish expression. He crossed his arms and looked at them all in turn. "Just because your parents don't get on, does _not_ mean you need to follow in those footsteps." Rose and Scorpius nodded while James and Albus gave the same scowl. It would've been funny if it wasn't so sad. "You may go. I'll see you all tonight in Greenhouse Three after dinner." They all left, Scorpius and Rose going in the opposite direction to James and Albus. Rose sighed as Scorpius strode faster than normal down the hall, muttering to himself.  
>"I'm sorry," She said, almost crashing into him as he froze mid-step. He turned and looked at her, with an unreadable expression on his face.<br>"I'm not looking for an apology from you, Rose."  
>"Then what <em>are<em> you looking for, Scorpius?" Her voice was low and pleading, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, Rose noticed that he had tears in his eyes.  
>"Acceptance."<p>

"Well, that wasn't too bad, was it?" Colleen teased as Rose scratched her arms at the rashes brought on by one of the surprisingly squirmy blackberry looking bushes she had to replant for her detention.  
>"It's not <em>funny<em>, Col!" She exclaimed, not amused. "I've got these bloody rashes, quite literally, _all over_. I can't sleep."  
>"Did you ever think of going to the infirmary and asking Madam Nook for something?"<br>"Well there's a stroke of bloody _genius_, Col. Why didn't _I_ think of that?!" She said sarcastically. "Yes, I bloody did and she said if it was gotten in detention, it will help me learn my lesson. She wouldn't give me anything for it."  
>"Well, she has kind of got a point. You won't do it again."<br>"I wasn't _going_ to do it again anyway! A letter will get sent back home and I'll probably lose a million house points too." The communal common room was empty apart from the three girls, but Nina was actually sleeping so it was just the two of them talking at the moment. Rose looked over at Nina's sleeping face, peaceful, with a small smile gracing her lips. Her wavy, light brown hair was strewn all over a cushion behind her head, a hard cover book hugged to her chest. Rose rubbed her hip where a particularly annoying itch was starting up and looked at Colleen.  
>"What did you mean, hurting Nina?"<br>"I promised I wouldn't tell," She answered too quickly. Rose smiled.  
>"Have I ever broken a secret? Ever?" Colleen sighed and looked at her square in the eye.<br>"Nina's been in love with James for years. This whole thing with your family is tearing her apart. She hasn't slept in weeks, she hardly ever leaves the common room, except for classes. And when I drag her down here." She looked at her friend's sleeping face, frowning. "How long has she been sleeping? Two, two and a half hours? That's the most she's slept in _days_. You need to sort this out, Rosie. She's been hating James for you and I don't think she can do it much longer."  
>"I never asked her to hate anybody." Rose felt atrociously guilty.<br>"No, you didn't, but she thinks it's her job." Rose stood up and walked to the door. "Where are you going?"  
>"I'm going to sort this out." She stated before closing the door. Colleen chuckled quietly.<br>"That's my girl," She said.

Rose found Scorpius in the library, sleeping, with his head resting on a book. She shook his shoulder and murmured to him to wake him up. He inhaled quickly, like he was scared for a minute, before sitting up and running a hand over his eyes. He smiled when he saw her. She started tugging on his arm and he stood up without really realising what he was doing. He was still half asleep.  
>They walked until they ran into James almost by accident, sitting on a bench with a book in his lap, studying for what seemed to be a Divination test. She took his arm and pulled him along. He was so surprised that he hardly had time to protest before she shoved them both in a small classroom and closed the door, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.<br>"Now kiddies," She said. "We are going to sort this out. I love you both and I'm sick of the constant fighting. I'm hurting Nina and Colleen's getting sick of me complaining. Scorpius, I know you haven't been sleeping properly and James, you look like hell," She sighed. "So what do I have to do to get us to sort this out?" She waited, her eyes moving from one to the other. Neither of them said anything. "We are not leaving this room until this is sorted out." She stated impatiently.  
>"Stop hanging out with <em>him<em>." James said grudgingly, jerking his head towards Scorpius.  
>"Not gonna happen, James, you know that."<br>"Truce?" Scorpius suggested, yawning. "You and your side can hang with her one day, the next day I hang out with her?"  
>"Oh, no, that is not sorting it out, Scorpius. I am not a toddler being tossed around by divorced parents. That is not going to work." They all thought for a minute, then Scorpius gave a smile and looked straight at Rose.<br>"Ice-cream." He said.  
>"What?" Rose asked, unsure that he had a complete hold of his sanity at that moment.<br>"Remember that night when you needed ice-cream?" Scorpius hinted. Rose beamed at him and Scorpius chuckled to himself. He could almost see the light bulb going off in her head. She turned to her cousin.  
>"James, can we just forget that we have last names?" James frowned. "Can we just forget that I am a Weasley, you are a Potter and he is a Malfoy? Can't we just be Rose and James and Scorpius?" James scowled before sighing and turning his head up towards the ceiling. Everyone was silent for a minute, before he tilted his head and looked at Rose, a crooked smile lighting up his face.<br>"You're lucky you're my favourite cousin." He said simply. Rose shrieked and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
>"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, jumping up and down. She let go of him and looked at Scorpius, her smile radiant. "You." She said pointing at his chest. "Are absolutely brilliant." She took a hold of one of each of their hands and pulled them to the communal common room, earning many curious glances on the way. Colleen looked up as they entered and gave Rose a grin, nodding at her approvingly.<br>"That's my girl." She said simply. She looked at Nina, still sleeping on the couch and winked at Rose, walking off. Rose let go of James' hand and pulled Scorpius out the room, leaving James and Nina to work it out on their own.


	9. Dreams and Kisses

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks to all followers and reviewers. Love you all!

Please enjoy this chapter, because it is actually my favourite one.

Anyway, review and enjoy!

James looked down at Nine sleeping so adorably on the couch, her arms wrapped around a heavy looking book. Her wavy brown hair was tousled, lying across the cushion behind her, her eyes closed but fluttering from her dreams. She got the waviness of her hair from her mother, the colour from her father, but it was lighter, almost a dark blonde. She looked small and fragile lying there on that three seater couch, her feet barely touching the third cushion. She was shorter than Rose, and petite, her bones tiny and breakable. And she was a nice girl too, dreamy like her mother, but she could be serious and thoughtful when the mood called for it. She was loyal, as a Hufflepuff should be, but she was also kind and honest. She never lied and she trusted people easily. She was quiet, but she was fun and humorous when you got her talking. She was a good friend to everyone. James sat down at the end of the couch, trying not to jostle her awake, but all the same, she moaned in her sleep and moved her head to the other side.  
>Shh," James said quietly, trying to lull her back to a deeper sleep. She smiled when she heard his voice and snuggled deeper into the couch. He pried the book from her fingers and she used her hands as a pillow as she curled into the back of the settee. He looked at the book and smiled as he read the title. He'd watched the Muggle animated movie of this story. 'Beauty and the Beast'. He guessed that Nina could relate to the main character, Belle, because they were both bookworms. He watched her sleep for a while. Was that creepy? He didn't want to look away. That adorable face lost it's carefully guarded and defiant expression when she was asleep. She hadn't developed that expression until a few weeks ago, when she told him that she was angry with him. He looked down at his watch. It was almost time to walk to the Great Hall for dinner. He was not going to be late for detention, which meant he had to get to dinner on time, which meant he was either going to have to walk away, or talk to her another time. He was afraid that if he walked away, he wouldn't do this. He would lose his nerve. So he too a deep breath and placed a hand on her forehead, murmuring in her ear.<br>"Mum, five more minutes," She muttered. He chuckled at her sleepy confusion, his hand still rubbing across her forehead.  
>She pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit she probably picked up from her father. She moaned as she opened her eyes and turned around, her face instantly going blank. Now that he looked, he could see the pain in her gorgeous blue-green eyes, flashing viscously.<br>"I'm not your mum, Nina." He smiled down at her gently.  
>"What do you want, James?"<br>"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sent that letter to Uncle Ron, and I should have trusted Rosie to take care of herself."  
>"Then you should apologise to Rosie, not me." She sat up, and turned away from him, wiping the hair out of her face. James laid a hand on her should and her whole body stiffened.<br>"I did apologise to her, Nina. But I wanted to apologise to you as well."  
>"Why? What do you care about me? She looked at him, then quickly turned away, but James still saw her face screw up like she was trying not to cry. "Since when have you <em>ever<em> cared about me?  
>"I always cared about you, Nina." She let out a grim laugh, shaking her head disbelievingly. "I'm serious."<br>"You're never serious, James." She looked at him for a few moments, then she gave a sad smile. "It's good you sorted things out with Rosie. She missed you."  
>She stood up and began to walk away. Thinking fast, James snapped out a hand and grabbed her wrist, twisting her around and pulling her into his lap. Both legs were draped over his right leg, her hands slammed into his chest as she tried to balance herself. He threw his arms around her shoulders, crushing her to his chest. She felt absolutely <em>right<em> there.  
>"Please don't walk away from me, Nina." He whispered into her hair. "Not again."<p>

* * *

><p>Nina's eyes widened as James pulled her closer to him, his arms wrapping around her firmly but tenderly. It had hurt so much to not be this close to him. To not be able to talk to him or laugh at his jokes and pranks. What was it about him that drove her so wild? Why did her heart beat so fast and loud, her breath go frantic whenever he was around? Why did she get so tense? And now, why was her skin feeling like it was on fire, like little currents of electricity were running all the way over her skin, where ever he touched?<br>"I've been going crazy since that day," He was murmuring to her, his voice gruff. "Not talking to you for these last few days has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was killing me. I don't think I could stand it if you leave again." She was dreaming. She had to be dreaming. This only happened in dreams, that's why she couldn't sleep. It hurt too much when she woke up. She stayed silent, breathing in the scent that was uniquely James. Quaffle leather, pepper, rising bread and soap. He never smelt this good in other dreams. She must be deep under. He ran his fingers through her hair and she shivered, but didn't move her own hands, knowing that if she did, the dream would shatter, and she would be back on the common room couch where she had fallen asleep in the first place. "And I was asking myself why. You're just a girl. My cousin's friend. There's nothing special about you, but the thing is, everything about you is special. _Everything_; your laugh, your smile, that adorable little frown you get when you're reading. Your kindness, your intelligence, your wit. You're so amazing, absolutely incredible." She pulled back with a sigh. This was usually the part where he kissed her and the dream broke. He would say he was sorry, profess his admiration and then kiss her. And she would wake up to a dark dormitory, her friends sleeping on all sides of her. Only this time he didn't kiss her. He held her face in his hands, his forehead resting on hers. He closed his eyes and inhaled. "And no matter how many times I tell myself you're nothing special, I don't believe myself. I can't. And I think it's because, even though you're just a girl, even though you're my cousin's best friend, I think you're beautiful and lovely and fantastic and brilliant. But the most shocking thing is that," He opened his eyes, looking straight at her. "I think, no matter how many times I try, I will never _ever_ be able to convince myself that I _don't_ love you." She looked into his brown eyes, his hair sticking up all over the place. He had never said he loved her before. If she didn't wake up soon, it was just going to hurt so much more when she did. So she moved her hands up and laced them through his hair, smoothing the mess he'd made by running his hands through it. The dream didn't shatter, so she moved to cup his face, his eyes closing at her touch.  
>'Wake up, Nina!' She shouted at herself. She closed the gap between their mouths and waited for the spell to break. It didn't. James pulled her close almost savagely, crushing her mouth to his, his hand moving back to hold her head in place. Her own hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer, her right leg reaching out so that she straddled his waist. She groaned as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue along the seam of her lips. She opened to him willingly and their tongues danced for dominance. It was too much. She couldn't be dreaming. And that meant-<p>

Fuck.

She pulled her lips away and slid her hands down to his chest, pushing him away a little. She kept her eyes closed, trying to get her breath back. When she opened her eyes again, he was looking at her, concern evident in his features.  
>"I'm not dreaming?" She asked. James smiled and laid a hand tenderly on her cheek.<br>"No, you're not,"  
>"But if you were a dream, that's exactly what you would say, right?" He chuckled.<br>"Does this feel like a dream to you?" She shook her head and looked down.  
>"James Sirius Potter." She said to herself. "I just got kissed by James Sirius Potter?"<br>"I might just point out that you initiated it, so technically, James Sirius Potter got kissed by you." Nina laughed, exhilarated and happy. She threw herself into his arms again, her pulse raging as she kissed the living daylights out of him. He responded eagerly, but pulled back after a minute or two, whispering in her ear, "Easy now," She smiled as he held her close, enfolding her in his arms. She felt completely at home and absolutely safe.

Eventually his empty stomach broke the moment. She rolled her eyes. Boys. She stood up and helped James up, and he kept a firm hold of her hand as they walked together to the Great Hall. James kissed her before walking towards the Griffindor table and she spun around, smiling like an idiot, before finding Scorpius who was sitting between the two Slytherin Quiddich beaters, Robert Mayford and Gilbert Norman. She stood him up, turned him around and hugged him around the waist. She reached up on her toes and kissed both his cheeks.  
>"You are absolutely and unequivocally brilliant!" She told him. "And your friends too!" She looked at the two beaters. "You are also amazing!" She turned around and ran towards Rose and Colleen, who were both grinning at Scorpius. "And you guys are completely fantastic and brilliant and beautiful!" She threw her arms around both of them as they stood up just in time. She ran towards the professors' table and walked right in front of her father. "And Daddy," She had tears in her eyes. "You are the best father in the world. And I love you." She ran back to her chair, leaving her father frowning and the rest of the professors laughing. When she sat down, she looked up at the enchanted ceiling with a pitifully ridiculous smile on her face.<br>"Well, we know what your cousin has been working on lately." Colleen said to Rose, thoroughly amused. "I believe it goes by the name of _brain-washing_."


	10. Quidditch and Declarations

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any characters therein.

Thanks to all reviewers and followers. Love you all!

Anyway, review and enjoy!

"They are completely adorable together, don't you think?" Rose asked Colleen as they studied together in the communal common room. Nina was sitting in between James' knees, reading a book. Every so often he dropped a kiss to her shoulder. A big smile creased her face but she shrugged him off as if she were annoyed he wasn't listening. She was reading aloud to him a Muggle story and Rose had do idea where she had got it, but Nina adored that book. And it looked as though James adored her.  
>"More like nauseating," Colleen grumbled.<br>"Oh, come on, look at them." Colleen stubbornly kept her face away so Rose took her chin and forced her to look at them, just before James seemed to get frustrated with Nina's lack of affection. He threw the book in the air and Nina immediately turned around angrily. James gave the cutest sheepish look he could summon, before Nina laughed and threw herself into his arms, both of them laughing as they hugged. "If that's not adorable, I don't know what is." Colleen gave a reluctant smile at the cute couple. They really were adorable.  
>"A box of puppies." Colleen said, going back to look at the book she was studying from. Rose chuckled.<br>"You're just jealous you don't have someone." Rose sang at her. Obviously she struck a nerve because Colleen looked up and glared at her.  
>"How did you know? Am I that obvious?" She asked sarcastically. She looked back at her book and notes and Rose immediately moved closer and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.<br>"Hey, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry," She pleaded.  
>"I know, I'm just so jealous!" Colleen whimpered back.<br>"Didn't you ask out that guy from Hogsmeade?" Colleen chuckled darkly.  
>"He's one of the Slytherin beaters. Popular and loved by everybody and smart and super attractive and... he'd never go out with me."<br>"A Slytherin beater, did you say?" Rose frowned, thinking. "Which one?"  
>"Robert Mayford." She stated. Rose chuckled. Colleen looked at her sharply. "What?"<br>"I happen to know that he has a mega crush on you thanks to Scorpius who just so happens to be friends with one: Robert Mayford." Colleen gave her an incredulous look. Rose grinned as Colleen's mouth stretched into a huge smile.  
>"Robert Mayford has a crush on me?" Colleen didn't wait for her to answer, rushing out of the common room in the pursuit of love. Rose caught Nina's eye and winked, laughing before she reluctantly went back to her studying.<p>

_One month later_

"Hey babe," Rose plopped down next to Nina as she read through her mail. She was so into a letter her mother had sent she didn't even realise that Rose had sat down. Rose herself had mail and she opened it, smiling at the two types of handwriting. Her father's crabby, squarish sort of writing, a defined right angled tilt to it, and her mother's loopy handwriting, small and precise, easily read. Her father was talking about how, as long as she didn't fail, he wouldn't care what her scores were, whereas her mother was telling her to study hard and make sure to get the best score possible. She rolled her eyes. How her parents managed to stay together when they were complete opposites, she would never know. She also noticed that her mother included Scorpius in with her friends, while her father stubbornly refused to acknowledge his existence. She chuckled at that.  
>Colleen sat down next to her, anxiously biting her fingernails, but none the less, she still dived into her food, eating like a horse.<br>"What are you so anxious about?" Rose raised her eyebrows at her.  
>"It's Slytherin versus Ravenclaw today. What if Robert gets hurt?" Rose tilted her head back to look at the ceiling.<br>"If he does get hurt, you'll have a hay-day playing doctor. Don't worry about it." Rose patted her hand, but all the same, wished she would calm down. "He'll be fine."  
>"You don't know that. He could be hurt. He could fall off his broom or break a bone or die or get disqualified-"<br>"Col, calm down," Rose's voice was getting impatient. "He'll be fine. You're getting yourself into hysterics. He's got tough skin. He'll come out of this game perfect. Just the way you left him." She sighed as she bit into her toast. She opened the package her mum had sent her and shook her head. Was her mother never going to give up knitting? She took the scarf out of the packaging and looked at it. It was crooked and definitely not in the best colour spectrum, but in its own unique way, it was kind of cute. She wrapped it around her neck twice and left the sides hanging. She took her note and the rest of the paper and sat on them, digging in heartily to her breakfast. She grabbed some bacon and eggs, a mound of toast and poured herself some pumpkin juice. If no one else was going to eat, then she would eat enough for all of them.

Slytherin had slaughtered Ravenclaw in the first Quiddich match of the season, thanks to an accidental bludger hit of the Ravenclaw seeker. Gilbert Norman had actually been aiming at one of the Ravenclaw chasers, when the chaser flew up at the last minute, the bludger soaring past and hitting the hilt of the Ravenclaw seeker's broom. Thanks to that, the Slytherin seeker had easily caught up with the snitch, winning the game, 270 to 60. Scorpius and Robert Mayford had made sure that Rose, Colleen and Nina and James would definitely be at the after party, and Scorpius had pulled some strings and got Lily and Albus invited, much to Rose's pleasure. Albus had lightened up during the month that Scorpius and Rose had been dating and had even been known to have civilised conversations with the Slytherin, although Rose's brother Hugo remained stubbornly hateful.  
>The party was now in full swing, butterbeers and various sweets had been had and it was now way past curfew, but it wasn't like anyone was complaining. This was a seriously good party.<br>Nina and James were already gone, probably making out in some dark corner of the castle and Robert was revelling in Colleen's praise, who was telling anyone who would listen that Robert was 'absolutely the best player to come to Hogwarts and would definitely be recruited to play in one of the professional teams'. Rose had given up talking to Colleen, instead had found Scorpius and was now dancing with him in what seemed to be a small dance floor. The music was fast and heavy, but Scorpius' dancing didn't seem to fit that. Instead he waltzed her around in a small circle, their hands folded together and trapped in between their chests, Rose's head resting on Scorpius' shoulder, her eyes closed. Rose loved the feel of Scorpius next to her and she could almost forget that she was surrounded by gloating Slytherins and various family members. The only people in the room were her and Scorpius, and nobody else existed. Not then anyway.

"It's been a good night," Scorpius whispered tenderly in her ear. Rose smiled softly and nodded.  
>"You're quiet," He drew back to look at her. "Are you alright?"<br>"I'm fine. This moment is completely perfect."  
>"You wanna go somewhere?" She nodded. He kept his arms around her as they walked towards their place aka the owlery. They sat on a bench and watched the stars, not talking, silently content in each others' company. Rose could fall asleep like this. She had before. And he hadn't woken her up until the next day, keeping her close and warm. She ran her fingers over the necklace he had given her that she now wore proudly, for all the world to see. It was then she remembered what she had bought for him. She took the necklace out of her pocket and dropped it in his palm, closing his fingers over it and going back to her former position.<br>It was like hers, only she'd switched the position, and the chain was a plaited leather cord. Instead of gems, the entire piece was made of a solid stone, creamy and smooth to the touch. A deep green surrounded a smaller yellow stone, the flowing black line around the piece ending in the head of a badger. Scorpius smiled as he tied the leather cord around his neck, sighing as he took Rose back into his arms.  
>"Thank you, Little Red," He said quietly.<br>"You're welcome. I was going to give it to you sooner but I completely forgot about it and-"  
>"It's alright. Things have been kind of hectic, haven't they?" He ran his hands over her fiery red hair. "Study for OWLs and extra homework and your brother. Does he ever smile? Like, ever, at all?"<br>"He does, he just has to get used to you."  
>"Used to me?" He mockingly raised an eyebrow as she pulled back to look at him. She grinned.<br>"Well, you _are_ kind of weird. And nutty. And a smart-alec."  
>"I thought that was part of the charm?" He looked mockingly traumatised.<br>"It is, just not every one is charmed by it. But that's why I love you." Her eyes widened at her slip and she ducked her head back into his chest, hoping he hadn't noticed. They were silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, before Scorpius lowered his head till his mouth was at her ear.  
>"You know something, Little Red?" He whispered, his voice soft and tender. "This might sound crazy, but I love you too."<p> 


	11. Epilogue: Family and Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The last one. Last chapter. Thank you to all, for your support and ever helpful reviews. Love you all. Thanks particularly to:  
>KateA001, Evilpika, owlgirlie387, gurlsluvindabooks89<br>You are all so amazing and I love you!

Anyway, review and ENJOY!

_Epilogue_

_Seven years later_

Rose laughed as she watched her son, Marcus, and her daughter, Lucinda running around with Nina and James' son, Luis, and Colleen and Robert's identical twins, Benjamin and Thomas. Her little one year old Marcus had just learnt to walk a few months earlier, toddling around on tiny legs, being helped around by three year old Lucinda. Little Luis was just under a year and a half and Benjamin and Thomas were almost two.  
>Marcus had inherited his mother's flaming red hair and his father's cool grey eyes. He laughed at everything and was still young enough to hold for hours without getting bored. Lucinda had just begun to develop her own unique personality. She reminded Rose of Nina, her dreaminess disappearing when something important came up. She had her father's white blonde hair, but it was highlighted here and there with a creamy honey colour, her grandmother's brown eyes flashing when she threw a toddler tantrum. Rose loved her family, her little babies and her new sister-in-law, Brae, whom Hugo had married a few months ago.<p>

Scorpius and Rose had married four years ago. They had had a quiet wedding, just the immediate family and close friends. Nina and Colleen had been her bridesmaids, with Lily as her maid-of-honour, and Robert and Gilbert had been Scorpius' groom's-men, with James being his best man. There had been arguments, little spats over the years, but Rose had never been happier than she was right now.

She was lying down on a picnic rug, her head nestled in Scorpius' lap while he read a book about some train robbery. He looked so perfect, wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans, hair endearingly messy, the necklace that she had given him all those years ago swinging and he moved his shoulders to get comfier. She ran her fingers over her own necklace, smiling as she remembered the day he had given it to her. She felt his hand smooth the fringe of her hair out of her eyes and grabbed that hand, lacing her fingers through his. He smiled down at her.  
>"Alright there, Little Red?" She grinned at him.<br>"When will you stop calling me that?" She asked.  
>"Never. I'll call you that to the day I die, even when you are old and grey and toothless." She scowled at him playfully. He laughed and kissed her cheek. "You are completely adorable, do you know that?" She smiled at him, a smile full of love and hope and joy.<br>"I love you." She replied simply, stating the obvious.  
>"I love <em>you<em>. I loved you _way_ before you loved me." He smile was mischievous.  
>"How do you know that?" She challenged. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the answer.<br>"Because I loved you ever since the night of our first kiss. And I'm quite sure the only thing you cared about that night, was the ice-cream."


End file.
